Greatest Fighter Aircraft of All Time

[Matt308]

I try and keep my list as short as possible

Fw-190 just a phenomenal and versatile airplane

F6F the right aircraft for the right adversary

MiG-15 made average pilots above average on the cheap

F-4 what couldn't it do? And over 5000 made is testamount to its design

F-15 penultimate air superiority fighter in any guise

Mirage III

 

[imalko]

The answer to this question is simple - the best fighter of all time is Messerschmitt Bf 109. Especially if the criteria is influence on the development of fighter tactics in history of aerial warfare.
This said, I am very suprised that Bf 109 wasn't included to this list.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

The answer to this question is simple - the best fighter of all time is Messerschmitt Bf 109. Especially if the criteria is influence on the development of fighter tactics in history of aerial warfare.
This said, I am very suprised that Bf 109 wasn't included to this list.

I think if you look at the poll, it was put together by a member and his opinion. As far as the 109? Certainly on the top 5

 

[JBEES]

Wouldn't you all agree that manuverability and speed would make the best fighter?

The ability to out-turn and get away if needed would be the attributes of the best fighter.

Those would be the items I would want in my back pocket if engaged.

 

[Lucky13]

F-15 is the only fighter to ever have accomplished kills without a loss of their own....

Speaks volumes, right?

 

[drgondog]

Wouldn't you all agree that manuverability and speed would make the best fighter?

The ability to out-turn and get away if needed would be the attributes of the best fighter.

Those would be the items I would want in my back pocket if engaged.

If you were engaged by an F-22 none of those attributes would help you - even if you could out turn it (unlikely) or out run it. You have to see it - by eyeball or radar.

If eyeball, you are in component pieces already and you don't see it by radar.

I'm not sure what the standard is for 'Best' but subjectively the F-15 gets my modern vote.

 

[Lucky13]

The F-15 in all air forces has an air-to-air combined record of 104 kills to 0 losses in air combat as of February 2008. To date, no air superiority versions of the F-15 (A/B/C/D models) have ever been shot down by enemy forces. Over half of the F-15's kills has been made by Israeli Air Force pilots.

 

[herman1rg]

Poll is not valid without including the Hakwer Hurricane.

I wonder what might have happened in the Battle of Britain if the UK didn't have the Hurricane. There were not enough Spitfires to deal with the Luftwaffe.

 

[timshatz]

F-15 is the only fighter to ever have accomplished kills without a loss of their own....

Speaks volumes, right?

I second that.

And I don't like the F15. Just rubs me the wrong way. But you can't argue with the success rate. And that is after being in service for 30 years.

What is it the Israeli's call it, the "Flying Sam Battery"?

Kinda makes you wondew when or how the first Eagle will get popped. Sooner or later, one of them is going down. Nothing lasts forever, especially in fighter combat.

 

[Glider]

It has to be the F15. No fighter ever has and probably never will again, totally dominate all the worlds fighters for 30 plus years.

Try to imagine the Fokker DVII beating the 8th Airforce over Germany or the Sopwith Camel winning the Battle of Britain, it sorts of puts it into perspective.

In modern times the
USSR tried the Mig23, Mig29, Su27 and still haven't matched it.
The French the Mirage F1, Mirage 2000 and while the Rafel may or may not be its match, the USA came up with the F22 raising the bar even higher.

 

[SoD Stitch]

If you were engaged by an F-22 none of those attributes would help you - even if you could out turn it (unlikely) or out run it. You have to see it - by eyeball or radar.

If eyeball, you are in component pieces already and you don't see it by radar.

I'm not sure what the standard is for 'Best' but subjectively the F-15 gets my modern vote.

Put simply: The F-22 does not have a combat record, the F-15 does. If and when the F-22 puts 105 enemy fighters in the ground, THEN it can make the claim to be the greatest fighter of all time. Until then, the F-15 is tops.

BTW, there is awesome video in another thread concerning the F-15; I watch the video just because I love looking at the -15, especially in action. It's kind of like the Lamborghini Countach: even 30+ years on, it still looks really good. Go
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naIWWNxF1DQ for the video.

 

[imalko]

MiG-29 and Su-27 are not matched to F-15?!
I cant agree with that.
And french Rafalle is one generation above F-15 in rang with F-22, Eurofighter Typhoon and Grippen.

 

[thunderbird]

newbie has an opinion. This site is terrible for someone like me addicted to everything about fighters. Best is an open definition especially when comparing different generations. Some of the very best airplanes aren't on the list. And each generation has its best.

I like the Hawker Tempests as the best of the active WWII aircraft, fast, powerful, tough and able to climb out of the energy hole better than any other wwII fighter, and armed to the teeth with 4 20mm cannons. If you get to choose your ride in a dogfighting game, go with the Tempest. Now an F2G with 4 20mm and the R4360 would have been an interesting ride, but it was too late for the war, and that big engine compromised its carrier performance a little.

In Korea, the F-86 flew well, but was underwhelming with its retention of .50 calibre machine guns. The Mig15 outclimbed the F-86 and was better armed with its 37 mm cannon.

In the cold war era, no one can argue with the effectiveness of the F-4 as a combat platform. The Mig21 was a better dogfighter, but its short legs meant that the Mig was bailing out of the fight and then shortly after, the pilot was bailing out as the Mig couldn't get away from the last missile shot. Performance-wise none of the planes really stuck out as superior . The Israelis used their Mirages and Kfirs as dogfighers, but their F-4s were also effective in the air-to-air combat.

In the seventies, the F-15 was King, the F-14 with its phoenix missile sytem (which was never used in combat by the Navy?) was Queen of BVR. The F-16 was a great airplane in close visual combat ranges but its radar is silly weak. And then the Russians developed the Mig-29 and the Sukhoi-27. Give me a choice and I will take the Sukhoi into vr combat with any airplane in the world.

Now The F-22 can lay calim to some amazing capability, almost 80kLb of thrust in an F-15 sized body will allow some amazing things. But its aero is compromised and who knows how well it will slash in vr. But in BVR, even if the enemy radar picks one up, the missile radar is unlikey to be able to home in on one. and in vr, I'll take a Sukhoi please.

 

[Loiner]

Sorry chaps, but there's only one ageless legend on that list:

Mk IX from 'Flying Legends', c/o wikipedia.com

 

[Tangopilot89]

Couldn't agree with you more!

Andy

 

[The Basket]

In modern times the
USSR tried the Mig23, Mig29, Su27 and still haven't matched it.

The MiG-23 flew years before the F-15 and was never designed to counter it as it didnt exist. The MiG-29 and Su-27 at least on paper match the F-15 in terms of sheer figures.

But I have to agree that the Bf 109 was perhaps the greatest fighter of all time. I am starting to see that now.

 

[Glider]

I know its a personal opinion but the Me109 never really dominated the opposition once they faced the Spitfire. There were times when it had an advantage and others when the opposition had the advantage but it wasn't a massive advantage either way. Thats why I picked the F15, it was the plane to beat and until the Typhoon and possibly the Rafael and Grippen arrived it was never beaten.

To totally dominate the air for 30 years was a unique achievement possibly one never to be repeated.

 

[The Basket]

The Bf 109 has greatness and heres why.,.
Probably shot down more aircraft than any other...built in huge numbers. Technologically advanced and made existing fighters obsolete...high performance. Was able to be continuously modified.

The Hurricane was never the Greatest because it was never cutting edge or high performance.

 

[The Basket]

From a purely historical point of view...the Bf 109 is far more important than the F-15.

If the USAF had the F-14 Tomcat instead...i doubt any different outcome.

The Sea Harriers kill ratio was to me more significant than the F-15s because the SHar was fighting also against the weaknesses of the FAA as well as the Argentines. The F-15 was in pole postion with every engagement.

 

[Glider]

The Bf 109 has greatness and heres why.,.
Probably shot down more aircraft than any other...built in huge numbers. Technologically advanced and made existing fighters obsolete...high performance. Was able to be continuously modified.

The 109 was built in greater numbers because the Germans had to concentrate on them, as there wasn't any other choice for fighting at higher altitude where the B17/B24's were. No doubt had positions been reversed and the RAF had built Spits instead of the huge numbers of 4 engined bombers they would have had the largest numbers, but that wouldn't have made the aircraft a better aircraft.

As for shooting down the largest number of enemy aircraft, having built the most was one factor plus of course the huge numbers of obsolete Russian aircraft lost in the first half of the war in the East. Again it didn't make the 109 a better aircraft, it was against poorer opposition.

The 109 was a fine aircraft but it didn't in my mind dominate the sky and its for that reason I wouldn't put it first ever. It didn't make existing aircraft obsolete. The Spitfire was in the a similar timeframe and the performance was similar and it wasn't until the 109E that the Luftwaffe had a better fighter than the Hurricane and as good as the Spitfire.